""It is a great result for the Club and we are really pleased to have a couple of players with so much experience to join the Club. They are both relatively young as well so they will be of great benefit to the team,"" Knights said.
Bendigo struggled for much of last season with injuries at Essendon putting the club’s depth to the test. The Bombers struggled to cover the loss of players and finished at the wrong end of the ladder.
""What I am really pleased about is the flexibility these two players will provide us. Skipworth can play midfield, wing and up forward. We know Cloke can play back but I think he also has a lot to offer in some other roles – we might have a look at him on a wing or up forward,"" Knights said.
""They bring plenty of experience to the group. Skipworth played more than 40 games with the Crows and that was in a midfield that consisted of (Mark) Ricciuto, (Simon) Goodwin, (Andrew) McLeod, (Tyson) Edwards, (Brett) Burton and others. I think that is a measure of how good a player he is.""
""Jason Cloke has played more than 70 games with Collingwood and it will be invaluable to have him around – he will give the young players plenty of guidance and confidence.""
Bendigo has also re-signed former Essendon rookie Tim O’Keefe for the upcoming season. The team will be without Jordan Doering (Strathmore), Justin Blumfield (retired), Callum Beasy (Swan Hill) and Mark Vigus (Sandhurst).
The drought has already caused Bendigo’s round one fixture against Tasmania to be switched to Windy Hill on Saturday, April 7th. The game was scheduled for Queen Elizabeth Oval but the ground is not expected to have recovered in time for the season opener to be played there.
